Fred Jordan Missions

So the wife and I volunteer today 12÷19÷15 with local 848 teamsters handing out grocery bags of food. the highlight of the morning was when Greg Laurie comes up to me and ask me being a grocery driver if I ever pull groceries out the back of the trailer while working this was all on camera man I felt like almost telling him dude are you a comedian, mind you I’m here volunteering. That’s the reason for the 3 stars.

So I volunteered here for Thanksgiving through my job and it was interesting. First of all, I was told that there was a parking lot for volunteers BUT all the streets were blocked off so the lot was impossible to get to. Next, there was a lot of confusion during the check-​in process. I think there were more volunteers than work that needed to be done but luckily my group and I got an assignment.
Other than that, the experience was great and the people over at the Fred Jordan Mission are doing a great job serving the less fortunate and that is why I am giving them four stars. Keep in mind that the FJM does hold christianity at its core so there was a brief sermon that went on while dinner was being served.
I can’t say that I will be back to volunteer because I do feel like they need to find someone (ME) to do a better job of organizing the volunteers, but I’m sure they won’t miss my help.

Volunteer any other time of year and you will see a real need for help. Not just for thanksgiving or Christmas.

Its a mission, so yes, its hard to give them a 3, but im giving them that for the lack of organization on there biggest day of the year, Thanksgiving.
Me and my gf came here to help out on thanksgiving, but oh my, they had way more than needed volunteers on this day. So kinda of a waste of time I would say.
We tried to help as much as we could, but there was a total lack of organization amongst the workers or regulars here on what needed to be done.
We probably stayed there an hour, but it felt like we did a lot in an hour. So it felt good to help out.
The End…
Note to self: next year, volunteer at another, less know church or mission for thanksgiving.

God bless these people. Volunteering here made me feel like a worthy human being and I could not be more thankful for that very feeling. Thank-​you so much for being the shining star on Skid Row.

They weren’t kidding when they said that they receive the most volunteers during the Thanksgiving holiday. The mission usually needs about 100 volunteers during each shift. But on this particular Thursday morning — LA was feeling extra charitable. 1000 volunteers showed up so a bulk didn’t have much to do but greet. I ended up doing the usual prep.
During the holiday lunches and dinners, skid row is revamped into a block party. Music, tables, food, tons of volunteers. The homeless is scattered here and there but primarily getting in line at the entrance. Parking gets even more crazy believe it or not. A majority of the volunteers ended up parking about 5 blocks away. It is usually not advisable to walk these streets alone on a normal day but it seemed a bit comforting since you were in company.
Tip if you want to volunteer on a major holiday — come early during the morning shift to get assigned a task. Or sign up for the 12:30pm or 4pm shifts when they definitely need more volunteers.

Volunteer for Thanksgiving Day… LA Hollywood style!
I was looking for somewhere to give back a little during the Thanksgiving season, but unable to do so because of other obligations, also strangely because every time I looked into the local missions and charities… everything was full of volunteers already. Who knew LA was such a hotbed of charitable folks?
So this year, knowing I wouldn’t be spending the holiday with family, I made it a point to look early at the local holiday volunteer opporunities and came across the Fred Jordan missions. Located in the heart of downtown mere blocks away from the Little Tokyo area, we were blessed with lovely weather and a LOT of people, both hungry participants looking for a meal and eager volunteers looking to give a helping hand.
Typically LA, there were outdoor music acts playing, appearances by some movie stars and other celebs, and appearance by the mayor himself providing entertainment and group prayer before the food was being served. I helped deliver some individual meals and desserts to some among the thousands that showed up to be fed. The volunteers alone almost totally 2000! Yes, I don’t mean to marginalize the hard and likely, less glamorous work of other charities, but the high energy of this place makes charity work fun as well as fulfilling.

Fred Jordan Missions is doing a great work for many years, reaching out to the less fortunate.
We come out and help every year with their annual events; Back to School, Eastern and Thanksgiving. It is awesome to partner with Willie Jordan, who continued with the vision her husband Fred had.
I encourage anyone, to donate some of your time or resources to this work, it will make an impact in many lives, I guarantee it will make a difference in yours.

This past Sunday I had the privilege of working at the Fred Jordan Mission’s 64^th Annual Skid Row Christmas Toy Party. Every year the Fred Jordan Mission joins together with various organizations and corporations to put on a huge party in downtown Los Angeles. It was probably one of the most amazing days of my life. I love the fact that my company rounded up a group of people to work at the event. I am so happy that I was part of it. It was amazing.
They were expecting in between 10,000−15,000 children/​families to attend the event, I am not sure what the actual number ended up at. When I arrived at 8am there was already a huge line as far as I could see. People had obviously camped out to get a good place in line which is totally understandable. The mission was giving out tons of stuff: blankets, hats, gloves, soap, other assorted toiletries, toys, clothes, and other items that I can’t recall. Oh, they even had warm homemade cookies and milk for the children!
In addition, they had Mickey, Minnie, and Santa Claus there to sing and spend time with the kids. They also had folks singing all sorts of holidays songs along with balloons, a Christmas tree, and other holiday decorations. It was so amazing to watch the kids be so excited. It was truly a wonderful day.
I was working in an area where we were handing out a bag to the kids that contained the items that I mentioned above. It was so touching to see families that obviously had nothing have such a warm inviting smile on their faces. Everyone that came by wished the volunteers happy holidays, and thanked us with a big grin.
This was such an amazing day and the Fred Jordan Mission is a fantastic organization. They have events throughout the year, I plan to go back and volunteer again! I doubt that I will ever forget standing in the middle of the street down in skid row and looking up at all the buildings in the financial district. Who knew that the two worlds were actually that close to each other? Such a strange sight to see…

This mission has a special place in my heart. I helped at the annual Back to School Clothing give-​away and was so touched. The mission is located in downtown LA. The have many annual events like Thanksgiving feast and Christmas dinner, Mother’s Day makeovers. It is something I hope everyone has the privilege to experience at least once, you will be changed forever working, helping and interacting directly with people who are so grateful for just your smile.